Akatsuki Companions
by Nightengale'Serenade'93
Summary: What if the Akatsuki had companions? More precisely, female companions? Lets find out, shall we? But what happens when those companions have a mind of their own? When they decide to follow their heart, rather than do what their told? Rated M for implications, language and possible violence
1. Chapter 1

So, this is a relatively interesting concept I came upon.  
What if the Akatsuki... had female friends?  
What would ensue? What would happen?

We are gonna find out!  
Hope you like the first chapter- please let me know what you think- and who you think should be paired together

Names will be at the bottom -smile-

Disclaimer: I dont own Naruto, Masashi Kishimoto does. I do, however, own all the female companions!

* * *

Pein stood at the far end of the dimly lit room. The only light came from one torch, to his left- and the rest from the eight circular shapes in the wall. Four on his left, four on his right, each evenly spaced. No movement came from any of them, except the occasional bubbles that ran through the water-like gel inside. It had been only two hours since he had placed the eight souls inside each container.

"It is time," he thought, turning around. Six pairs of eyes- five similar to his own- stared back at him.

"Release the gel from the pods. Leave the air vents open. I don't want any of them dying," the orange-haired Shinobi ordered," Konan, come with me. It's time to let the others know what is going on." The blue-haired kunoichi nodded, and followed her friend as he walked away from the room.

0o0o0o  
Eight men were gathered in a dimly lit room; some sat on old couches or chairs- but a few of them kept standing.  
"How much longer do you think he'll keep us waiting, un?" Deidara asked, looking over his shoulder at his red-haired partner; he only got a shrug in response; frowning, he sat down in a huff, staring at the wall opposite of him. Even the most talkative of the bunch was rather quiet. He seemed to be watching each of his friends- the newest members of the group more than the others. Deidara- along with Hidan and Kakuzu- were the newest three. At the sound of footsteps, everyone's attention piqued, and everyone seemed to be waiting on baited breath. As soon as the orange-haired man walked in, the white-haired Jashinist sighed.  
"About fucking time! I was getting tired of waiting!" Pein barely acknowledged the outburst, as he looked around the room at the group.  
"I have gathered you all for one reason. As Shinobi of this wretched world, we all have been taught at one point in our life; we keep training to keep the endless cycle going. Wars and battles kill us off-"  
"Where the fuck are you going with this?" Hidan asked, a bored expression on his face. Pein looked over at him, his piercing stare not at all intimidating the priest.  
"Long story short; I have gathered eight other people- one for each of you to train as you see fit; You cannot kill them, but perhaps, if they feel the want to- they will sacrifice themselves in battle for you. Their level of knowledge varies- some are highly skilled, others need some help," Pein explained," It took some time, gathering them- making sure they wouldn't be missed- much. It took some doing, but I finally achieved all eight."  
"Why in the hell do you think I will even do this? I'm not gonna train no fucking person," Hidan frowned, standing up and grabbing his scythe. Closing his eyes to keep his composure, Pein continued.  
"The eight females will be shortly released from the pods- so that you may all review them and choose as you see fit."  
Hidan stopped in his tracks, and gawked at Pein.  
"F-Female?" Pein merely stared at him, waiting for him to decide if he was going to leave or stay. Clearing his throat, Hidan set his scythe back against the wall and plopped down on the couch.  
"Continue."  
"As said- you will all determine which you want; As you leave here, you will receive a piece of paper from Konan. This will decide the choosing order."  
"Are they all old, un?" Deidara asked, frowning.  
"They range in age. I don't know the exact ages, but I would say 15-25."  
"Oh... okay, un."  
"Any further questions?" Pein asked, looking around at the group of men.  
"Correct me if I'm wrong- but did you say earlier, that we could not kill them?" the raven-haired Uchiha asked.  
"I did."  
"Then what in the hell are we supposed to do with them?!" Hidan demanded.  
"Honestly Hidan- weren't you listening?" Kisame asked, and the Jashinist frowned.  
"Train them, if they need strengthened- gain their trust; it might work in your favor some day."  
Everyone turned their attention to the blue-haired kunoichi. No one had really even realized she was there- until she spoke.  
"Thank you Konan," Pein said stoically; turning his attention back to the group, he waited.  
"Eh... I think there is one... obvious question," Kisame said, leaning forward," We ARE all males- and you are giving us female companions..." The blue-skinned shark-like Shinobi trailed off- but Hidan quickly interjected.  
"Oh! Yeah! Seriously- we ARE allowed to fu-"  
"You are not allowed to force them into any compromising position," Pein interrupted," They have to be willing. If they say no, then that is the end of it." His steely gaze locked with Hidan's until the Jashinist huffed and looked away. No one else seemed bothered by that, and everyone seemed content, so Pein turned to leave.  
"So, does Tobi get a friend too?" Everyone turned their attention to the orange-masked goof that followed Zetsu around.  
"Why the fuck would you be allowed-" Hidan began, but Pein spoke over him.  
"Yes. Even you will have a friend."  
"Yay! Tobi is a happy good boy! Tobi will be good to his friend!" No one saw the look in his eye- no one except Pein and Zetsu.  
When no one else made to speak, Pein turned around and walked out of the room, Konan wordlessly following him.  
"Leave 8 pieces of paper for them Konan," Pein said to her, as they walked away. Nodding once, eight small sheets of paper floated off of her, and went back to the room where the group all sat. No one really made to move, as they all just stared at the sheets of paper. Then, an orange blob ran past them in a rush, as Tobi ran for the papers, enthused.  
"Which paper does Tobi want? Should Tobi choose this one?" the exuberant guy said, speaking to himself," Or does Tobi want this one?"  
"Hey! Who the fuck said you get to choose first, you little shit?!" Hidan demanded, standing up and moving towards Tobi.  
"Eeeee!" Tobi exclaimed, taking one last look at the papers and grabbing a random one quickly. He barely made it away before Hidan got there, and took to hiding behind Zetsu.  
"Chicken shit," Hidan spat, and looked to the papers. Frowning, he grabbed a sheet and walked away. It crinkled in his fist, but he paid little attention to it as he sat down. A small, white bird flew through the air, grabbing a piece of paper- at the same time a blue chakra string grabbed onto a piece on the end. Sasori pulled his chakra string back to him, bringing the piece of paper with it- and the white bird landed on Deidara's knee. Unenthusiastically, Kakuzu let one of the threads from his wrist fly through the air, and it stabbed one of the remaining four pieces of paper before travelling back to him. Itachi wordlessly stood, along side his blue-skinned partner, and both walked up to the pieces of paper. Kisame watched the younger raven-haired Shinobi, who decided upon a piece of paper on the far right; with that, Kisame took the one on the opposite side, the far left. The remaining piece of paper travelled through the air and landed on Zetsu's lap. The bi-polar man stared at the white sheet of paper; his black half wanted to shred it to pieces; his white half softly picked it up and looked at it curiously.  
"Now what, un?" Deidara asked.  
"Now- you follow me." They all look and see Konan standing in the doorway once more.  
"When the fuck did you-?" Before he could finish though, Konan was already walking away. Everyone stood and followed her- and not wanting to be left behind, Hidan jumped up, grabbed his scythe and ran to catch up.

0o0o0o  
Purple eyes fluttered open, but a blinding light made it hard to see anything. Lifting an arm to shield her eyes, the blue-haired girl tried to look around, but found there wasn't much to look at. There wasn't even much room to move about.  
"Where am I?" she wondered," Some small... compartment... I don't... understand..." Her hand travelled to her forehead, to move her hair out of her face.  
"My hair... is wet... with a slight... odor... why?" At this point, she realized she was laying down, but that was the only thing she could be sure of. Right now, she had many more questions than she felt she had answers for. Raising her arms above her, she placed them on the surface above her. Cold to the touch; cylindrical; and had a slight sticky residue on it. Frowning, she pulled her arms back to her, and looked around.  
"Am I... underground somewhere?" Suddenly, she felt something yank her in a direction- as she was suddenly moving downwards. The scene above her changed, and a sudden draft of air made her shiver.  
"You are the first to awaken. Do not worry- you are safe and unharmed. Feel free to walk around and stretch your muscles." She couldn't identify where the voice was coming from, but she was more curious as to what he wanted with her. Above her, she could see a ceiling further up- made of what looked like stone. Sitting up slowly, her purple eyes darted about, taking in her surroundings.  
Carefully, she swung her legs off the side off the bed, and let her feet touch the ground. She retracted her legs quickly, as though the ground had burned her.  
"Is everything okay?" a voice asked her. Looking around, she couldn't find anyone in the room.  
"I... I'm fine... It was just... cold... surprised me..." No response came, and she pushed herself off flat surface. Her knees shook slightly, but held out; looking around, she took in her surroundings. A small square room was around her- and one wall had only a door; the wall opposite the door had a glass-looking wall- but she couldn't see through it. Only her image was reflected back. Then the remaining two walls had four circles each- a soft blue glow coming from each of them.  
She saw something that looked like the sticky residue that was in her pod- it was dripping down the wall beneath one of the circles. A sudden commotion came from across the room- and the girl watched with wide eyes.  
"LET ME OUT OF HERE!" A slightly muffled voice yelled, followed by more commotion. Not a second longer, one of the circles opened, and a flat surface came sliding out, coming to a halt. Another girl seemed to fly off the surface, landing with a soft thud on the cold ground. The newest addition slid back, as far as she could, until her back found the other wall. Her dark orange eyes were wide, full of fear. It wasn't long before the strangers locked eyes, and understandment passed between the two of them. She slowly stood up, her dark red hair sticking together like glue; slowly, she made her way over to the blue-haired girl and stopped just a few feet away.  
"W-who are you?" she asked shyly. It took a moment before she could remember her name, but when she did, she replied with a soft voice.  
"Hana. You?"  
"Naomi."  
At that moment, the pod nearest to them suddenly slid open, causing them both to slightly jump in surprise. Laying on this flat surface, was a young looking girl. Her black hair lay messily on the platform; a small yellow hair tie held together a small portion of hair in a tiny pony tail. The majority of her hair was short- the longest being her bangs, which cut off unevenly at her chin. Hana moved slowly towards the girl, who was still unconscious. Naomi held back, watching curiously. Just as Hana reached the end of the platform, another one across the room slid open, coming to a stop with a thud. Both the girls looked over at it, then at each other.  
Looking back at the girl beside her, Hana saw she had claw-like marks around her left ankle.  
"I wonder... what happened to her..." Hana thought, furrowing her brow. Naomi took a tentave step towards the newly opened pod, then another step; after a few silent moments, she finally reached the platform and saw the orange-haired girl laying there.  
On the opposite side of the glass wall, Pein watched wordlessly. He heard the others approaching, their footsteps getting closer and closer. The girls had no idea they were being watched- but that suited everything perfectly. Without that knowledge, they would act normally- as they would if they were alone. Konan came into the room, followed in order by Kisame, Itachi, Sasori, Deidara, Zetsu, Tobi, Kakuzu and lastly- Hidan. They stayed in their line, as they looked through the glass wall, and saw the two girls walking about, as one by one, pods opened, emitting more girls.  
"Do they know we're here, un?" Deidara asked.  
"No," Pein answered," Now that we all have our order- and they are all waking up, I will give you a few moments to survey them from here. No matter how loud you talk- they can not here you- but what ever you do, do NOT hit the glass. After a few moments, I will be back. Be considering your top three choices, incase your first choice gets chosen before your turn." With that, Pein left the room, followed by Konan.  
"What the fuck?" Hidan said, watching Pein's retreating back," This makes no sense at all to me!" No one seemed to really be paying him any attention though; everyone's eyes seemed glued to the glass wall- and the girls on the opposite side.  
Naomi peered at the orange-haired girl curiously, her medium-dark orange eyes narrowing as she took in every inch of the other girl. There was something... different about her- she just couldn't put her finger on what. Naomi noted the multiple peircings on her ears; the flower tattoo on her right wrist- and as she stepped closer, the orange-haired girl opened her eyes. Orange eyes stared into yellow eyes, an eerie silence filling the room, until another pod slid open, followed closely by a second. Naomi- and the orange-haired girl looked about curiously, as did Hana. The young black-haired girl still had yet to open her eyes, so Hana stepped around the pod, and walked to the one of the newly opened ones. Inside was another girl, this one with short, dark blue hair. Naomi cautiously walked over to the other opened one, and saw a girl with off-white hair laying peacefully on the flat surface. Almost instantly, her eyes opened, revealing the sky blue eyes.  
"Who are you?" the blue-eyed girl asked, her melodic voice reminding Naomi of a lullaby.  
"Naomi... you?"  
"Shinju. Where am I?"  
"Dunno... But we're not alone." Naomi said, gesturing over her shoulder. Shinju sat up and looked around- her blue eyes landing on the orange-haired girl and Hana.  
"Who are you?" Shinju asked, looking at the other girls.  
"Hana."  
"Kiku," the orange haired girl said, her voice soft, yet a slight rasp to it.  
"Mai." Hana turned to see the dark blue haired girl sitting up, her knees folded beneath her.  
"I didn't even notice she had moved," Hana thought, slightly surprised.  
0o0o0o

On the other side of the glass, the criminals watched intently.  
"I cant hear a fucking thing!" Hidan complained, crossing his arms.  
"Tough- none of us can," Kakuzu said, not even looking at his partner in crime.  
"Then how the hell do we know who we want to choose?!"  
"By their actions," Itachi said, not even taking his eyes off the girls- especially the red-headed girl; there was something about her that drew the Uchiha in. The Jashinist huffed, but kept his mouth shut after receiving a glare from almost everyone in the room.  
0o0o

Another pod opened, the girl within using the energy of the stop to sit up. She looked around, her soft purple eyes taking in everything around her. Hana was amazed- by everything about this girl. Her waist long, soft pink hair looked silky smooth; the soft purple eyes looked like they belonged in a sunset.  
"Ya know, its hard to sleep with all this noise." Hana turned to see the raven-haired girl sitting on her platform, frowning. Her medium-dark purple eyes emotionless.  
"S'bout time you woke up shorty," Naomi smirked, skipping over to the girl, a grin on her face," Beginning to think you were comatose." Hana was slightly surprised by the change in Naomi's personality.  
"Who do you think your calling short?! I am the perfect height- Thank. You. Very. Much."  
"Whatever you say, shorty," Naomi smiled, winking playfully," What's your name, anyway?"  
"Aimi."  
"Pleasure to meet you, Ai-mi. I'm Naomi- this is Mai, Kiku, Hana, Shinju, and... oh, what's your name?"  
"Hotaru."  
"And Hotaru!" Naomi said, introducing everyone. Her medium-dark orange eyes landed on the only pod remaining shut, and she skipped over to it. Frowning, she knocked on the glass and peered in.  
"Oi! You can come out at any time! You're keeping us waiting ya know?!" Nothing happened, and with a huff, Naomi walked away.  
"Are we sure there is someone in there?" Aimi asked.  
"There should be," Hana responded, walking over to it; she stayed out of the way- since the pods had a habit of randomly opening. She noticed that- unlike the other pods- there was no gooey substance leaking out of the bottom. Peering cautiously inside, she saw the container was still full of liquid- but what really caught her attention, was the slight movement from the body inside.  
"I... I think she's drowning in the liquid..." Hana thought, her eyes widening in alarm," How come there is still liquid in hers, when it was drained from ours?!" Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she looked around wildly, trying to think of a way to somehow save the girl.  
Her purple eyes landed on a good size rock and she ran over to it. Picking it up, she turned to the other girls, and swallowed the lump in her throat.  
"Any of you have near perfect aim?" They all instantly understood what she was planning- though no one understood why.  
"I do!" Aimi exclaimed, hopping down from the platform. The shorter girl took the rock from Hana and lined herself up perfectly across from the shut pod. Bringing her arm back, she swung it forward with all her might, launching the rock from her hand. It sailed through the air, hitting the pod glass just left of center. The glass shattered, and the light blue liquid seeped through, sloshing onto the stone floor.  
"Eww... were we all in that?" Aimi asked, frowning in distaste.  
"I think so..." Hana nodded, quickly walking over to the pod. The door was still shut, but the liquid was quickly disappearing- but not quick enough. Hana put her own safety aside and began tearing at the glass with her fingers; her blood mixed with the liquid, and the pain from her hands seemed to get worse when the liquid came in contact with the cuts from the glass- but Hana paid no attention to it. Her mind was focused on the girl inside; true, she was nothing but a stranger, but Hana couldn't just stand by and let her die.  
After several minutes, Hana had cleared all the glass from the front of the pod, and could reach the girl.  
"I need help pulling her out," Hana said, turning to the other girls for help. Shinju was the only one who moved quick enough; the others were still pretty confused on what was going on. Together, Hana and Shinju reached in began to pull the girl out, trying to be as careful as possible. Hana was just barely aware of Hotaru joining them, and together, they managed to get the girl out of the pod. They laid her on the ground, away from the broken glass and liquid; Shinju turned the girl on her stomach and patted her back, as the girl started coughing up the liquid from the container. After a few moments, she lay down, her body shaking slightly. Her head rested on Hana's knees, but the blue-haired girl didn't mind. In fact, a soft smile lifted Hana's lips, and she lifted her hands to sooth back the girls hair- but stopped when she saw her bloody hands. Small shards of glass littered her hands, and any movement hurt. Hana was slightly surprised when Kiku knelt down beside her, and softly took Hana's hand in her own; gently, the orange-haired girl began to pick out what glass she could, placing it on the ground beside her.  
"Thank you," Hana said softly, looking at Kiku; the orange-haired girl merely shrugged, a shy smile on her face.  
"Thank... you..." Hana looked down, and saw the green-haired girl looking up at her- her golden-yellow eyes full of fear.  
"Don't mention it," Hana whispered, smiling softly.

0o0o0o  
From the other side of the glass, all of the Akatsuki watched- some shocked by what they had just saw.  
"She cares too fucking much about the well being of others," Hidan frowned, looking at the blue-haired girl, as she said something to the green-haired girl who was lying on her lap. No one said anything, but some of them did agree. Itachi was probably the only one who actually liked that fact about the strange girl.  
"It's time to make your decisions." The eight guys looked towards the doorway and saw Pein standing there, Konan right behind him.  
"So, who's got ticket number one?"

* * *

Dun dun DUHHHHHHHH

So who do you think got ticket number one?!

And as said at the beginning- who do you think should be paired together?  
Here is a list of the ladies names:  
Hana  
Kiku  
Shinju  
Hotaru  
Aimi  
Mai  
Naomi  
Takara

Akatsuki men who will get a lady friend: Hidan, Kakuzu, Itachi, Kisame, Tobi, Zetsu, Sasori and Deidara.


	2. Chapter 2

Yay! Chapter 2!  
So, this one has obsessive cussing (It's Hidan- what do you expect? )  
But I had some fun with it- so enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, but I do own the companions (Hana, Aimi, Hotaru, Kiku, Shinju, Mai, Naomi and Takara)

* * *

Each of the Akatsuki had all but forgotten about the sheets of paper in their hands. Quickly, Hidan uncrinkled the wad of paper in his hand- but soon groaned in distaste.  
"FUCK!" Hidan yelled, crinkling the paper back in his fist.  
"Oh!" Tobi exclaimed, clapping his hands happily.  
"I swear to Jashin- if you got ticket one-" Hidan began, gripping his scythe.  
"No- Tobi didn't get ticket one," Tobi said, slinking behind Zetsu," Tobi got ticket four."  
"Then who the fuck got one?!" Hidan demanded.  
"What did you get, un?" Deidara asked.  
"None of your damn business Blondie!"  
"Probably got eight," Sasori mused, then looked at the piece of paper in his hands,"….two..."  
"Nice pick, un," Deidara complimented.  
"Ticket one- just come forward," Pein sighed, slightly irritated. Everyone was silent, until the bipolar man spoke up.  
"What exactly do we do?" Zetsu asked.  
"Choose whichever-" Pein began, until Hidan interrupted.  
"Wait! Hell no! HE GOT TICKET ONE?! I Demand a re-draw!" Hidan yelled. At that moment, threads wrapped around Hidan and roughly threw him to the ground. The jashinist landed with a thud and glared up at his so called partner.  
"What the fuck was that about you ass?!"  
"Shut up and wait your turn," Kakuzu hissed, and murmured under his breath,"Damn ignorant ass."  
"As I was saying," Pein continued, while Hidan struggled against the threads," You merely choose one of the females on the opposite side of the glass. That will be your companion." The white and black man walked towards the glass and looked through, his yellow eyes scanning the lot.  
"**They all look tasty**," Black Zetsu smirked, his eye glinting with hunger. The white side seemed to pay no attention, as his eyes landed on one girl in particular.  
"How about her?" White Zetsu asked his other half, who looked at the girl in question.  
"**She does seem rather tasty.**"  
"Interesting, might I add." Zetsu turned and looked at Pein.  
"We choose her."  
"**We choose her.**"  
"Her who sempai?!" Tobi asked, skipping over to the glass, trying to figure out which one the plant-nin had chosen.  
"Orange hair."  
"Very well," Pein simply said, and nodded to Konan. A piece of paper floated off of the blue-haired kunoichi and floated through the glass pane.

0o0o0o0o

"Are you sure you're gonna be okay?" Hana asked, as the green-haired girl slowly sat up.  
"Yes... Just a little shaky is all..."  
"What's your name, anyway?" Shinju asked, sitting down beside them.  
"Takara."  
"That's a very beautiful name," Hana smiled, and the green-haired girl smiled shyly. A paper came from the glass- not unnoticed. One by one, each of the girls turned their attention to it, as it fluttered towards them. Takara let a soft whimper escape her throat, and Hana placed a hand over Takara's hand, comforting her. The paper descended, and landed on the orange-haired girls shoulder. Kiku stared at it in surprise and curiosity.  
"Does it... hurt?" Aimi asked, curiously.  
"No..." Kiku murmured, shaking her head. Naomi bent down, and leaned in, getting a closer look at the paper-butterfly. Half of it turned black, the other half stayed white. Everyone's eyes grew wide with surprise, but it done nothing more.  
"Any idea on what this means?" Hotaru asked- but no one answered; they were all equally stumped.

0o0o0o0o0o

"Ticket two- please." Pein said, looking at the group of men in the small room. Sasori walked up to the glass, unsure of who to choose. His dull brown eyes looked around the room, assessing each of the remaining seven girls.  
"_I have no information on any of them, which is probably the point_," Sasori thought, frowning,"_ I don't remember the last time I had to make a decision without any information..._"  
"Any day now puppet-boy!" Hidan exclaimed- and got yanked back to the floor once more by Kakuzu's threads.  
"DAMN YOU KAKUZU!" Sasori tuned out Hidan, and focused on the girls. Two of them caught his attention most- the off-white haired girl, and the green haired girl; but the more he thought of it, the more he considered them- the more the dark blue haired girl caught his attention. Her green eyes held a certain aura of mystery that intrigued him- and he realized he had to figure her out.  
"Dark blue hair... green eyes." Wordlessly, a red butterfly fluttered through the window- and they all watched it as it landed on the girl that Sasori described. He watched as her green eyes studied the red paper butterfly; curiosity, intrigue and yet, a small bit of fright lit her eyes.  
"Ticket three." Kakuzu took a few steps forward, and Hidan instantly began going off.  
"You got the third ticket?! Ah HELL NO! I demand a re-draw! RE-DRA-" Hidan suddenly stopped mid-sentence, as pieces of paper surrounded him, and began covering every inch of him. Within minutes, Hidan was a writhing cocoon on the floor, his vocal complaints muffled- incomprehensible.  
With a smirk (of course, unseen by any of his peers, due to the mask on his face), Kakuzu came to stand by the glass- which separated him from the girls.  
"_Oh how I wish I could just kill them all, and take their hearts,_" Kakuzu thought, frowning," _But perhaps I can train my companion to help with the process? Or, I could sell her for money... Or, better yet- she could help me find bounties, and I could collect much more money... Yes... so many possibilities..._" His green eyes scanned the remaining six, and he was surprised by the ease of choosing one.  
"_I want one that will be easy to make submit to me- one that won't argue me_," Kakuzu thought, and his gleaming eyes landed on the green-haired girl.  
"The green haired girl." To everyone's surprise, as he said that- the green-haired girl looked towards the window, as she knew she was being spoke of. Her golden-yellow eyes scanned the glass, then watched the green butterfly as it fluttered towards her, and landed on her nose. Her eyes crossed, as she attempted to look at the butterfly, causing a few of the girls around her to laugh. Kakuzu turned and walked to the back of the small room, leaning against the wall.  
"Four."  
"Tobi has ticket four! It's Tobi's turn!" The orange-spiral masked man exclaimed, skipping to the glass excitedly," Hmm- which girl does Tobi want for a friend? There are only five remaining possibilities- though Tobi is sure he can be friends with all of them! But which do I want for a close friend? Tobi's companion?"  
"Please- just choose one, un," Deidara groaned, rolling his eyes. Tobi looked from Deidara to the glass, and brought a hand up towards his chin, striking a thinking pose. He took a few moments, eying each of the girls through the single hole in his mask.  
"There is something about her..." Tobi thought, his normal exuberance forgotten," Plus, he told me to choose her- so why not?" The orange-spiral mask jumped excitedly, jumping back a good foot- and pointed at the glass.  
"Tobi wants the light blue haired girl! She's pretty! And nice!" A few of them sweat-dropped, but nonetheless, a orange and black butterfly fluttered through the glass and made its way towards the girl.

0o0o0o0o

They all watched as yet another butterfly- this time orange and black- fluttered towards them. It descended as it approached them, and landed softly on Hana's cheek.  
"I- I think I know what's going on... but I can't be certain," Hana said, as she looked around at the girls. She was the fourth one to receive a butterfly- and four of them still hadn't gotten one.  
"What do you think it is?" Takara shyly asked, her green butterfly still resting on her nose.  
"I think... We're being bought- or something like it. Chosen for a team or something. One by one..."  
"What for?" Naomi asked, her outgoing persona gone; she was now as calm and mellow.  
"I wish I knew..." Hana whispered, looking at the floor, her brow furrowed, as she thought," Whatever it is... I have a bad feeling..."

0o0o0o0o

"Ticket five." At that, the tallest of the group- excluding Zetsu- stood up. Kisame took his Samehada over to the glass and peered through, his scales slightly itching. Shark-like eyes peered curiously at the four remaining girls, and he shrugged.  
"Go with the off-white looking hair... blue eyes," Kisame shrugged, and sat back down in his previous spot. A blue butterfly floated through the glass, heading towards the girl.  
"Ticket six." Neither of the remaining two moved, and it was silent for a few moments.  
"Deidara- Itachi- Come on, one of you two have to have ticket six."  
"Nope, un," Deidara said, shaking his head.  
"Itachi?" Wordlessly, the Uchiha shook his raven-haired head.  
"Then who has ticket six?" Pein asked, getting slightly irritated.  
"Tobi thinks Hidan might have it," Tobi giggled, as everyone deadpanned- as they had all forgotten about the Jashinist. He had been unusually quiet, wrapped up in his cocoon on the floor. Konan retracted her paper from him, and soon, he was completely uncovered.  
"ABOUT FUCKING TIME!" Hidan exclaimed, as soon his mouth was uncovered.  
"Hidan- choose."  
"Choose what?!" Hidan questioned, glaring at Pein.  
"Your companion- dim wit," Kakuzu sighed; Hidan turned his purple eyes towards his partner and glared.  
"Ignore him- or you will lose your turn," Pein warned. Seething, Hidan marched up to the glass and looked through.  
"_Damn- all the good ones are gone,_" Hidan thought, seeing the majority of the girls with butterflies. Only three remained, and they weren't exactly his type. Frowning, he tried to decide, but it was harder than he thought.  
"_I can't kill them, according to Pein_," Hidan thought," _So I have to at least get along with them... in some way... Jashin-sama, who do I chose?!_" As though his God was answering him, one of the girls suddenly seemed to have a glow about her- a glow that Hidan was positive no one else saw, since no one said anything. Taking in the girls appearance, Hidan nodded slightly and stalked back to the wall.  
"Pink hair."  
"Pffft- Hidan chose the one with pink hair," Tobi chuckled, and then hid behind Zetsu as Hidan glared at him. A purple butterfly- matching Hidan's eye color- made its way to the girl.  
"Ticket six."  
"Alrighty here, un. Nice and quick- 'spose. There's only two left, right un?" Deidara asked.  
"Yes. Only two." The blonde done a quick once over of the girls, and shrugged.  
"I guess I'll go with... the raven-haired girl." Walking back to his spot, a yellow butterfly made its way to the girl, and Pein turned his attention to Itachi.  
"Since you are the only remaining to choose- and there is only one remaining girl left- you two will be partnered by default," Pein informed; Itachi wordlessly nodded, watching the red-head with his normal stoic expression. Inside, he was genuinely curious; though he would have preferred the one that Tobi had chose, he accepted who he got. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a black butterfly make its way toward the girl, and land on her left wrist.  
"Now- before you are free to meet them, I must remind you. No killing them. No unwanted advances. Find ways to make them useful. Train them," Pein said- then turned and left the room, Konan right behind him.  
"When do we meet them?!" Hidan exclaimed.  
"Tomorrow," Pein's voice answered, echoing through the halls; Hidan frowned, but said nothing as he picked up his scythe and left the room. One by one, the room emptied, and Itachi was the last one left; he stayed in his spot, sitting on the boulder in the room, peering through the glass.  
"What is Pein's motive behind this?" Itachi wondered, and hoped it wasn't anything too... anything too ambitious. With one last look at the eight girls on the other side of the glass wall, Itachi jumped off the boulder and walked out of the room.


End file.
